What are endangered species?

Did you ever imagine, “How many species or organisms existed in the past; how many are still living; and how many are endangered or critically endangered?” Alas! The world’s greatest giants, called dinosaurs, are no more visible to our nature-thirsty eyes except their dreadful fossil remains. Thomas Lewinsohn, a renowned Brazilian scientist, estimates about 13 million species of various organisms inhabiting the planet Earth the majority of which are still unknown to man and it will take about 2,000 years to observe, study and enlist them. All of such creatures are inferior and beneficial (in one way or the other) to mankind.

Out of the 1.5 million listed categories of mutually interbreeding living beings, about 5734 are listed as endangered, while as many as 3950 are critically endangered. You have to feel the responsibility for saving the biodiversity, so that the coming generations can benefit from the beneficial aspects of living creatures and improve their life-style like you. The critically endangered are those species of organisms that are given first priority by the conservative biologists for designing and implementing appropriate strategies to save them from extinction. Given second most severe status on the Red Data List (or IUCN Red List), the endangered species are facing an increased risk of being extinct in the near future.

The major international body concerned with the conservation status of living species is known as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (abbreviated as IUCN) and prepares a red data list highlighting the most vulnerable animates. Among the endangered and critically endangered organisms, the number of animal species is greater than those of plant species because the natural habitat of animals has been more severely affected due to over civilization and industrialization.

Endangered Species